St. Petersburg Times; St. Petersburg; Jun 11, 1994;

SHARON KIRBY LAMM;

Within about 15 minutes on a recent afternoon, Jordan Brown, 11, pulled two small fish and a turtle from a tiny lake behind Faith Community Church.

The tournament is part of a Fishathon Fair and Fish Fry to raise money for the Morningstar Ministries, which is overseen by Jordan's grandfather, Hans Geissler. Geissler is a boat builder and founder of

Morningstar Ministries.

The Morningstar team plans a trip in early August to the Mayan Indian village of Senor, Mexico, to build and stock a fish farm. Six adults and 10 children, including Geissler and Jordan, will go on the trip.

They will take about 50 female and 10 male breeder fish, as well as about 3,000 fry, or baby fish.

Copyright Times Publishing Co. Jun 11, 1994

Within about 15 minutes on a recent afternoon, Jordan Brown, 11, pulled two small fish and a turtle from a tiny lake behind Faith Community Church.

He quickly returned each one to the water, because he was just practicing for a children's fishing tournament today in that same lake.

The tournament is part of a Fishathon Fair and Fish Fry to raise money for the Morningstar Ministries, which is overseen by Jordan's grandfather, Hans Geissler. Geissler is a boat builder and founder of

Morningstar Ministries.

The Morningstar team plans a trip in early August to the Mayan Indian village of Senor, Mexico, to build and stock a fish farm. Six adults and 10 children, including Geissler and Jordan, will go on the trip.

They will take about 50 female and 10 male breeder fish, as well as about 3,000 fry, or baby fish.

They will set up hatcheries as the first step in developing the farm. As the fish multiply, they will provide food and income for ministers and missionaries already working in Senor.

The program will be free to the missionaries and villagers. "The only thing we want from them is dedication," said Geissler.

The group is raising money to pay for the trip. "We have an ex-fisherman there, a pastor", who will oversee the program.

Geissler, who was born in Germany into a family with 10 children, said he knew hunger as a child. "Even if you had money, you couldn't buy food. There was no food."

A member of Faith Community Church for 14 years, Geissler has gone on numerous mission trips, and has seen the hunger of villagers. He said he felt several times that God was leading him to begin a fish farming

project, but he thought he lacked the knowledge to carry out the program.

Then he met Mike Sipe, an expert fish farmer and aquacultural specialist who helped Geissler begin the program about a year ago.

The fish grown are tilapias, hearty fish that grow in open ponds, cages, aquariums or tanks.

"They taste like perch," Geissler said. "They have a white, flaky, sweet meat. They have a strong immune system, and feed on algae. In warm water, they thrive."

This will be the first mission trip for Morningstar Ministries, but already the group has had inquiries from India, Algeria and Haiti, Geissler said.

Geissler said he also hopes to begin a school at Faith Community Church, to teach aquaculture and fish farming to anyone interested. "People are waiting for us to help them. We are not just going to (teach fish farming) overseas. We also want to do it in our neighborhoods.

"We are joining forces with other churches," Geissler said. "We want to teach other churches how to fish farm. What we're doing is supporting other missionaries in other countries."

The ministry still needs donations of money and supplies. "Everything we're doing is by faith, through donations." IF YOU GO A Fishathon Fair and Fish Fry to raise money for the Mayan mission is planned from 9

a.m. to 3 p.m. today with games, prizes, an auction, live music and a flea market at Faith Community Church, 7100 142nd Ave. N, Largo. Admission to the fair is free. The fish dinner is $3.50 for adults and

$2 for children. Youngsters can enter a fishing tournament and casting contest for a $2 fee. Kids must wear sneakers and bring their own rods and reels for the fishing tournament. Call 531-3891 or 536-4114.

[Illustration]

COLOR PHOTO, SCOTT KEELER; AXS; Caption: Hans Geissler holds a tilapia he raised in his fish farm at the Faith Community Church in Largo.

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